List of Indian princely states

The British Empire in the East, 1919, showing the princely states coloured green

Princely states of India
Salute state Chamber of Princes Doctrine of lapse Privy Purse Instrument of Accession
Individual residencies
Hyderabad Jammu & Kashmir Travancore Sikkim
Agencies
Baluchistan Deccan States Gwalior North-West Frontier Punjab States Rajputana Central India Eastern States
Lists
List of states (regional) List of states (alphabetical) List of current pretenders

Before the Partition of India in 1947, hundreds of Princely States, also called Native States, existed in India which were not part of British India. These were the parts of the Indian subcontinent which had not been conquered or annexed by the British but were subject to subsidiary alliances.

Things moved quickly after the partition of British India in 1947. By the end of 1949, all of the states except Sikkim had chosen to accede to one of the newly independent states of India or Pakistan or else had been annexed.

Outline

Main article: Princely state

For details of precedence between the states, see Salute state.

In principle, the princely states had internal autonomy, while by treaty the British had suzerainty and were responsible for their external affairs. In practice, while the states were indeed ruled by potentates with a variety of titles, such as Raja, Maharaja, Nawab, Khan or Nizam, the British had considerable influence.

By the time of the departure of the colonial power in 1947, only four of the largest of the states still had their own British Resident, a diplomatic title for advisors present in the states' capitals, while most of the others were grouped together into Agencies, such as the Central India Agency, the Deccan States Agency, and the Rajputana Agency.

From 1920, the states were represented in the Chamber of Princes, which held its meetings in New Delhi.

The most important states were ranked among the salute states.

By the Indian Independence Act 1947, the British gave up their suzerainty of the states and left each of them free to choose whether to join one of the newly independent countries of India and Pakistan. For a short time, some of the rulers explored the possibility of a federation of the states separate from either, but this came to nothing. Most of the states then decided to accede to India or to Pakistan, while others which held out for the possibility of independence were later invaded by India, such as Junagadh (1947–1948), Hyderabad on 18 September 1948, Bilaspur on 12 October 1948, and Bhopal on 1 May 1949. Dewan of Travancore chose to remain an independent country.

In Jammu and Kashmir, a state with a Muslim majority but a Hindu ruler, the Maharaja hoped to remain independent but acceded to India on 27 October 1947 at the outset of the invasion of Jammu and Kashmir by Pakistan - leading to the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947.

On 31 March 1948, Kalat acceded to Pakistan, although the brother of the Khan led a rebellion against this decision.

The last remaining independent state, Sikkim, was incorporated into India on 16 May 1975, following a referendum in which people of Sikkim overwhelmingly voted for this.

Indian Princely States at the time of independence on 15 August 1947

Individual residencies

Name of state	British administrative status	Now part of	Last or present ruler
Hyderabad	Individual residency	Andhra Pradesh, Maharastra, and Karnataka, India	H.E.H. Nizam al-Molk Fath Jang Barakat Ali Khan Mukarram Jah Asaf Jah VIII
Jammu and Kashmir	Individual residency	Jammu and Kashmir, India; Azad Kashmir, Pakistan; Gilgit-Baltistan or present Northern Areas, Pakistan; Aksai Chin, China	HH Maharaja Shri Dr. Karan Singh
Mysore	Individual residency	Karnataka, India	HH Maharaja Shri Kanta Datta Narasinharaja Wadiyar Bahadur
Sikkim	Individual residency	Sikkim, India	HH Chogyal Wangchuk Namgyal
Travancore	Individual residency (individual residency status under Madras Presidency)	Kerala and 3 taluks of Tamil Nadu, India	HH Shri Padmanabha Dasa Vanchi Pala Maharaja Martanda Varma V [Shri Uthradom Thirunal] Kulasekhara Kiritapati Manney Sultan Maharaja Raja Ramaraja Bahadur Shamsher Jung, Maharaja of Travancore

Baluchistan Agency

Princely States of the Baluchistan Agency.

Name of state	British administrative status	Now part of	Last or present ruler
Kalat	Princely State	Balochistan, Pakistan	HH Beglar Begi Mir Agha Suleiman Jan, Khan of Kalat
Kharan	Princely State	Balochistan, Pakistan	Habibullah Khan
Las Bela	Princely State	Balochistan, Pakistan	HH Mir Muhammad Yusuf Khan, The Amir and Jam of Las Bela
Makran	Princely State	Balochistan, Pakistan	Bai Khan Baloch Gikchi

Deccan States Agency and Kolhapur Residency

Princely States of Deccan States Agency and Kolhapur Residency.

Name of state	British administrative status	Now part of	Last or present ruler
Akalkot	Princely State	Maharashtra, India	Shrimant Rani Sumitra Bai Raje Bhonsle, Rani Saheb of Akalkot
Aundh	Princely State	Maharashtra, India	HH Meherban Shrimant Bhagwant Rao Shripat Rao, Pant Pratinidhi Of Aundh
Bhor	Princely State	Maharashtra, India	Raja Shrimant Sir Raghunathrao Shankarrao Babasaheb Pandit Pant Sachiv
Jamkhandi	Princely State	Karnataka, India	Raja Saheb Shrimant Raja Pranay Rao Parshuram Rao Patwardhan
Janjira	Princely State	Maharashtra, India	HH Nawab Sidi Muhammed Khan II Sidi Ahmad Khan, Nawab of Janjira
Jath	Princely State	Maharashtra, India	Lt. Shrimant Raja Vijaysinghrao Ramrao Babasaheb Dafle
Kolhapur	Princely State	Maharashtra, India	HH Shrimant Rajashri Shahu II Chhatrapati Maharaj Sahib Bahadur, Maharaja of Kolhapur
Kurundwad	Princely State	Maharashtra, India	HH Raja Shrimant Hariharrao Raghunathrao [Bapusaheb] Patwardhan, Raja of Kurundwad Jr.
Mudhol	Princely State	Karnataka, India	HH Shrimant Raja Bhairavsinhrao Malojirao Ghorpade II
Phaltan	Princely State	Maharashtra, India	Major HH Raja Bahadur Shrimant Ram raje Naik Nimbalkar
Sangli	Princely State	Maharashtra, India	Capt. HH Shrimant Raja Saheb Sir Chintamanrao II Dhundirajrao Appasaheb Patwardhan
Savanur	Princely State	Karnataka, India	Nawab of Savanur, Abdul Majid Khan II
Sawantvadi	Princely State	Maharashtra, India	Bhonsale clan

Gwalior Residency

Princely States of the Gwalior Residency.

Name of state	British administrative status	Now part of	Last or present ruler
Gwalior	Princely State	Madhya Pradesh, India	HH Maharaja Scindia Jyotiraditya Rao Scindia , 11th Maharaja of Gwalior
Garha	Princely State	Madhya Pradesh, India
Khaniyadhana	Princely State	Madhya Pradesh, India
Rajgarh	Princely State	Madhya Pradesh, India	HSH Shushila Singh Rudrani
Rampur	Princely State	Uttar Pradesh, India	H.H. Nawab Syed Muhammad Kazim 'Ali Khan Bahadur, Nawab of Rampur

Madras Presidency

Princely States of the Madras Presidency.

Name of state	British administrative status	Now part of	Last or present ruler
Banganapalle	Princely State	Andhra Pradesh, India	H.H. Nawab Sayyid Fazl-i-'Ali Khan IV Bahadur, Nawab of Banganapalle
Cochin	Princely State	Kerala, India	Kerala Varma
Pudukkottai	Princely State	Tamil Nadu, India	H.H. Rajagopala Tondaiman, Maharaja of Pudukkottai
Sandur	Princely State	Karnataka, India	Shrimant Maharaj Shri Murarrao Yeshwantrao Ghorpade, Hindurao, Mamlukatmadar Senapati, Raja of Sandur

North-west Frontier States Agency

Princely States of the North-West Frontier States Agency. Agencies included the Dir Swat and Chitral Agency and the Deputy Commissioner of Hazara acting as the Political Agent for Amb and Phulra.

Name of state	British administrative status	Now part of	Last or present ruler
Amb	Princely State	Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan	Nawab Saeed Khan
Chitral	Princely State	Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan	H.H. Mehtar Saif-ul-Mulk Nasir
Dir	Princely State	Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan	Muhammad Shah Khosru Khan
Phulra	Princely State	Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan	Ata Muhammed Khan
Swat	Princely State	Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan	Miangul Abdul-Haqq Jahanzib

Gilgit Agency

The States of Hunza and Nagar and many feudal Jagirs (Puniyal, Shigar etc.) in the Gilgit Agency were tributary to the Maharaja of Jammu & Kashmir.

Name of state	British administrative status	Now part of	Last or present ruler
Hunza	Gilgit Agency	Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan	Mohammad Jamal Khan
Nagar	Gilgit Agency	Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan	Showkat `Ali Khan

Province of Sind

Name of state	British administrative status	Now part of	Last or present ruler
Khairpur	Princely State	Sindh, Pakistan	H.H. George Ali Murad Khan

States of the Punjab

States of the Punjab States Agency (Punjab).

Name of state	British administrative status	Now part of	Last or present ruler
Bahawalpur	Princely State	Punjab, Pakistan	Nawab Sadeq Mohammad Khan V
Bilaspur	Princely State	Himachal Pradesh, India	H.H. Raja Kirti Chand, Raja of Bilaspur
Faridkot	Princely State	Punjab, India	Lt. H.H. Farzand-i-Sadaat Nishan Hazrat-i-Kaisar-i-Hind Raja Bharat Indar Singh Brar Bans Bahadur, Raja of Faridkot
Jind	Princely State	Haryana, India	H.H. Maharaja Satbir Singh ["Prince Sunny"], Maharaja of Jind''
Kalsia	Princely State	Haryana, India	Raja Himmat Sher Singh Sahib Bahadur
Kangra	Princely State	Himachal Pradesh, India	H.H. Raja Aditya Dev Chand Katoch
Kapurthala	Princely State	Punjab, India	Brig. H.H. Maharaja Sri Sukhjit Singh Sahib Bahadur, Maharaja of Kapurthala
Loharu	Princely State	Haryana, India	H.H. Nawab Mirza Alauddin Ahmad Khan II (alias Parvez Mirza), Nawab of Loharu
Malerkotla	Princely State	Punjab, India
Mandi	Princely State	Himachal Pradesh, India	H.H. Raja Sri Ashokpal Sen, Raja of Mandi
Patiala	Princely State	Punjab, India	Maharajadhiraj Sir Yadavindra Singh Mahendra Bahadur
Siba State	Princely State	Himachal Pradesh, India	H.H. Raja Dr.Ashok K.Thakur
Sidhowal	Princely State	Punjab, India	H.H. Raja Bhai Babar Jung Singh
Sirmur	Princely State	Himachal Pradesh, India	Lt. H.H. Maharaja Rajendra Prakash Bahadur
Suket/ Surendernagar	Princely State	Himachal Pradesh, India	H.H. Raja Hari Sen, Raja of Suket"
Tehri Garhwal	Princely State	Uttarakhand, India	H.H. Maharaja Manujendra Shah Sahib Bahadur

States of the Rajasthan Agency

States of the Rajputana Agency.

Name of state	British administrative status	Now part of	Last or present ruler
Alwar	Princely State	Rajasthan, India	H.H. Raj Rishi Shri Sawai Maharaja Jitendra Pratap Singhji Veerendra Shiromani Dev Bharat Prabhakar Bahadur Jitendra Singh, Maharaja of Alwar.
Banswara	Princely State	Rajasthan, India	H.H. Rai Rayan Mahimahendra Maharajadhiraj Maharawalji Sahib Shri Jagmalji II Sahib Bahadur, Naresh Rajya, Maharawal of Banswara.
Bharatpur	Princely State	Rajasthan, India	Maharaja Suraj Mal, Jawahar Singh, Maharaja Randhir Singh, Maharaja Baldeo Singh, Maharaja Balwant Singh, Maharaja Jaswant Singh, Maharaja Ram Singh, Maharaja Kishan Singh.
Bikaner	Princely State	Rajasthan, India	H.H. Sri Raj Rajeshwar Maharajadhiraj Narendra Sawai Maharaja Shiromani Ravi Raj Singhji Bahadur, Maharaja of Bikaner and Head of the Royal House of Bikaner.
Bundi	Princely State	Rajasthan, India	Col. HH Maharao Raja Shri Bahadur Singhji Bahadur
Dholpur	Princely State	Rajasthan, India	Rana Kirat Singh, Rana Pohap Singh, Rana Bhagwant Singh, Rana Nihal Singh, Rana Ram Singh, Rana Udaybhanu Singh.
Dungarpur	Princely State	Rajasthan, India	H.H. Rai-i-Rayan, Mahimahendra, Maharajadhiraj Maharawal Shri Mahipal Singhji II Sahib Bahadur, Maharawal of Dungarpur.
Jaipur	Princely State	Rajasthan, India	Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II
Jaisalmer	Princely State	Rajasthan, India	HH Maharajadhiraj Maharawal Sir Jawahir Singh Bahadur
Jhalawar	Princely State	Rajasthan, India	H. Maharajadhiraj Maharaj Rana Shri Chandrajit Singh Dev Bahadur, Maharaj Rana of Jhalawar.
Jodhpur	Princely State	Rajasthan, India	H.H. Raj Rajeshwar Saramad-i-Rajha-i-Hindustan Maharajadhiraja Maharaja Shri Gaj Singhji II Sahib Bahadur, Maharaja of Jodhpur.
Karauli	Princely State	Rajasthan, India	HH Maharaja Shri Ganesh Pal Deo Bahadur Yadakul Chandra Bhal
Kishangarh	Princely State	Rajasthan, India	HH Umdae Rajhae Buland Makan Maharajadhiraja Maharaja Sumer Singhji Bahadur
Kotah	Princely State	Rajasthan, India	HH Maharao Shri Bhim Singh II Bahadur
Kushalgarh	Princely State	Rajasthan, India	Rao Harendra Singh
Lawa	Princely State	Rajasthan, India
Mewar	Princely State	Rajasthan, India	Maharana Sir Bhupal Singh
Patan - Torawati	Princely State	Rajasthan, India	Rao Bir Bikram Singh Tanwar
Pratabgarh	Princely State	Rajasthan, India	Raja Ajit Pratap Singh
Shahpura	Princely State	Rajasthan, India	HH Rajadhiraj Sudershan Singh
Sirohi	Princely State	Rajasthan, India
Tonk	Princely State	Rajasthan, India	Nawab Muhammad Faruq Ali Khan
Vallabhpur	Princely State	Rajasthan, India

Gujarat States Agency and Baroda Residency

• Ambliara State Sabarkantha Agency
• Bakrol-Boru
• Balasinor
• Bansda State
• Bajana
• Devgadh Baria
• Dhrol
• Baroda
• Bhavnagar
• Cambay
• Chhota Udaipur
• Dangs
• Dhrangadhra
• Gondal
• Idar
• Jawhar
• Junagadh
• Manavadar
• Kutch
• Katosan-Raj
• Lunavada
• Morvi
• Miyagam State
• Nawanagar
• Palanpur
• Porbandar
• Poshina
• Radhanpur
• Rajpipla
• Sachin
• Sanjeda Mehvassi
• Sant
• Sanjeli
• Surgana
• Tharad
• Vijaynagar
• Vithalgar
• Wankaner
• Vanod

States of Central India Agency

Subhash Marg, Indore

Bhil tribe girls in Jhabua

Orchha Palace, Madhya Pradesh

• Ajaigarh
• Ali Rajpur
• Alipura
• Baoni
• Barannda
• Barwani
• Beri
• Bhopal
• Bijawar
• Charkhari
• Chhatarpur
• Datia
• Dewas
• Dhar
• Garrauli
• Gaurihar
• Indore
• Jabua
• Jaora
• Jaso
• Jigni
• Kamta-Rajaula
• Khaniadhana
• Khilchipur
• Kothi Baghelan
• Kurwai
• Lugasi
• Maihar
• Makrai
• Mathwar
• Muhammadgarh
• Nagod (Unchhera)
• Narsingarh
• Orchha
• Panna
• Pathari
• Piploda
• Rajgarh
• Ratlam
• Rewah
• Sailana
• Samthar
• Sarila
• Sitamau

States of the Eastern States Agency

Faiz Mahal, Khairpur

Palace in Cooch Behar

The 19th century Ujjayanta Palace, now used as the meeting place of Tripura's State Legislative Assembly

Girivilas Palace in Sarangarh

• Athmallik
• Bastar
• Baudh
• Banaili
• Bhutan
• Changbhakar
• Chhuikhadan
• Cooch Behar
• Darbhanga
• Daspalla
• Dhenkanal
• Jashpur
• Kalahandi
• Kanker
• Kawardha
• Khairagarh
• Kharsawan
• Khondmals
• Koriya (Koriya)
• Manipur
• Mayurbhanj
• Nandgaon
• Nayagarh
• Pal Lahara
• Patna
• Raigarh
• Ramgarh
• Sakti
• Saraikela
• Sarangarh
• Sonpur
• Surguja
• Talcher
• Hindol
• Tripura
• Udaipur

Alphabetical list of former British India's princely states

See List of Indian princely states (alphabetical)

Further reading

• The Relationship Between the Indian Princely States and the Indian Central Government, 1921-1933, by Harry Dunseth Wood. Published by University of Chicago, 1951.
• The Paramount Power and the Princely States of India, 1858-1881, by Ajit K. Neogy. Published by K. P. Bagchi, 1974.
• Rajahs and Prajas: An Indian Princely State, Then and Now, by S. Devadas Pillai. Published by Popular Prakashan, 1976.
• Princely States and the Paramount Power, 1858-1876: A Study on the Nature of Political Relationship Between the British Government and the Indian State, by Mihir Kumar Ray. Rajesh Publications, 1981.
• Documents and Speeches on the Indian Princely States, by Adrian Sever. Published by B.R. Pub. Corp., 1985.
• The Late Pre-colonial Background to the Indian Princely States, by Richard B Barnett. Published by Centre for South Asian Studies, University of Punjab, 1988.
• Indian Princely Medals: A Record of the Orders, Decorations, and Medals of the Indian Princely States, by Tony McClenaghan. Published by Spantech & Lancer, 1996. ISBN 1-897829-19-1.
• British Policy Towards Princely States of India: Seminar Entitled "British Policy Towards North Indian Princely States" : Selected Papers, by R P Vyas. Published by Rajasthan-Vidya Prakashan, 1992.
• The Princely States of India: A Chronological Checklist of Their Rulers, by David P. Henige. Published by Borgo Press, 1997. ISBN 0-89370-325-7.
• Constitutional Development in the Indian Princely States, by Ranjana Kaul. Published by UBS Publishers Distributors, 1998. ISBN 81-259-0511-1.
• The Maharaja & the Princely States of India, by Sharada Dwivedi. Published by Lustre Press, 1999. ISBN 81-7436-081-6.
• Illustrated Encyclopaedia & Who's who of Princely States in Indian Sub-continent, by J. C. Dua. Published by Kaveri Books, 2000. ISBN 81-7479-036-5.
• The Golden Book of India: A Genealogical and Biographical Dictionary of the Ruling Princes, Chiefs, Nobles, and Other Personages, Titled or Decorated, of the Indian Empire, by Sir Roper Lethbridge. Adamant Media Corporation, 2001. ISBN 1-4021-9328-9.
• True Tales of British India & the Princely States: & The Princely States, by Michael Wise. Published by In Print, 1993. ISBN 1-873047-06-1.
• Princely States of India: A Guide to Chronology and Rulers, by David P. Henige. Published by Orchid Press, 2006. ISBN 974-524-049-4.
• India's Princely States: People, Princes and Colonialism, by Waltraud Ernst, Biswamoy Pati. Published by Routledge, 2007. ISBN 0-415-41541-1.

Sources and references

• Indian Princely States Genealogy Queensland University
• Indian Princely states and their Genealogy - royalark
• Flags of Indian Princely States
• WorldStatesman- separate Princely States section(s) per present country